Hospitality Design - July 2022 - 45

in 2001. I was on my fi rst of four deployments to
the Middle East in this tent with about 14 other
women, and I needed some privacy. I took some
sheets, and I made walls around my cot. That was
the fi rst space I ever created, and I bawled like a
baby for 15 minutes. It healed me. It brought me
comfort and solace.
The entrance to the Archer Park
Apartments clubhouse mixes bright
hues with strong, architectural lines
Capitol Vista in Washington, DC's Mount
Vernon Triangle neighborhood is home to
more than 100 luxury affordable units
You designed hospitality, residential,
and multifamily spaces before launching
Determined by Design in 2012. What did
you want your studio to center on?
I wanted to work for a place that had leadership
that looked like me. It was from a place of wanting
to create something I didn't see. The fi rst thing
that I did was a nonprofi t project for domestic
violence survivors-12 women and 32 children.
This woman came up to me and said, 'Miss Kia,
when I walked into this room, I realized change
was possible for me.' The people who need access
to well-designed spaces the most, they don't know
they don't have it, they don't know they need it,
and they don't have an advocate. I've built my
entire practice around being that advocate.
A fireplace is among the amenities found
in Capitol Vista's rooftop Clubhouse
What is the biggest obstacle to humancentered
design?
There is a bias that exists when designing for lowincome
communities and predominantly people
of color. One of the things that I'm teaching my
students is, I don't see demographics, I see people.
I wouldn't wash it down, or diminish it, based
solely on this group of people's socioeconomic
standing. Interior design is not a luxury for a few,
it is a standard for all. And it's up to us collectively
to elevate it for everyone.
What is the most valuable lesson you've
learned over the years?
If you strip it all down, I got here because I
constantly showed up as myself-being in service
of others and trying to not have anyone experience
the things I've experienced.
A decade ago, did you think all you've
accomplished could be possible?
No. One of my favorite books is called A Return
to Love by Marianne Williamson. In it, she
talks about how, yes, it's great to set goals, but
sometimes our goals can only stop at what we can
imagine. She also talks about how much our ego
shows up, as opposed to just doing something from
a place of love. I do Determined by Design because
I love it, and the outcomes it creates for people. I
don't say I could have imagined where I'm at, but I
knew I was determined by design to end up here,
or somewhere, regardless. hd
Momentum at Shady Grove, an affordable living community in Rockville,
Maryland, features natural light, brushed nickel finishes, and plank flooring
Hear more on HD's What I've Learned podcast
at hospitalitydesign.com
hospitalitydesign.com July 2022
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Photos by RHONISHA FRANKLIN, JENNIFER HUGHES and courtesy of DETERMINED BY DESIGN
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - July 2022

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